Blackbox of crashed Turkish private jet found

TEHRAN, March 12, 2018

The blackbox of the Turkish private jet that crashed in southwestern Iran on Sunday night was found, deputy governor of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province said on Monday.

The business jet carrying eight passengers and three crew members crashed into a mountain in central Iran on Sunday, killing all on board.

The plane was flying back to Istanbul from Sharjah, UAE. It was reportedly owned by Basaran Holding, a company active in construction and building luxury yachts.

There were no UAE nationals on board, a statement from the Sharjah Civil Aviation Department (SCAD) was quoted as saying by Khaleej Times newspaper.

According to SCAD, the private 604 Pompadier Turkish TCTRB took off at 5.16 pm local time from Sharjah International Airport en route to Istanbul Ataturk Airport and disappeared from the radar after leaving the UAE at 7.30 pm.

At the time of its departure, the plane had eight passengers (six Turkish and two Spanish) and three crew members on board.

Shahr-e Kord is some 370 km south of the capital, Tehran.

Representatives from Turkey together with relatives of the victims are scheduled to arrive at Shahr-e Kord airport within hours, Jafar Mardani told the Islamic Republic News Agency (Irna).

The blackbox will be delivered to the officials for further investigation, he said.

"The 10 identified dead bodies will be transported by helicopter to Shahr-e Kord Airport," he added.